


For Argument's Sake

by Darksknight



Category: Marvel, X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, College AU, College professors, M/M, Mentions of Sex, lots of mentions of sex actually, mentions of drinking, most tagged characters don't make very long appearances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 10:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8746336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darksknight/pseuds/Darksknight
Summary: The 'Science Wing Fights' are infamous, mostly because it's exciting to see two teachers really have it out, partially because Charles and Erik have the most intense and interesting fights any college student can dream of. So maybe a rumor or two get spread around to start the fights off, maybe someone mentions a hicky or the possibility of Charles seeing someone, but it's not like anyone's trying to instigate anything. Expect Raven. Raven will always instigate things.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is currently unedited. I'll get around to it eventually.

Charles Xavier is seeing someone. 

Now, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone- least of all the students of the science wing at MCU. As Professor Xavier’s student’s, they’ve all heard the wild and fantastical stories of his college days- the partying for days on end, the serial dating, the legendary one-night-stands, the whirlwind of activity, the horror, the drama. They all gasp and sigh as they’re given hand-me-down stories of Charles Xavier downing his fifth yard of beer while seducing three people in the nearby crowd. 

But this that was then, and this is now, and Charles Xavier, their tweed-wearing goofy genetics professor, is seeing someone. And it’s honestly the biggest source of gossip the science wing’s had to chew on since the last infamous Science Wing Fight one month ago. (It involved a broken door, for a start, and whenever there’s property damage involved you know it’s going to be a fight for the books.)

“You can’t be serious.” Hank insists. “This is the professor we’re talking about.”

“He makes bedroom-eyes at lab sheets more than Hank does, and that’s saying something.” Alex adds. He grins at Hank’s dry glare. 

Angel rolls her eyes. “I know what I saw, and there’s no mistaking it.”

“Maybe it was just food.” Sean offers helpfully. “I get ketchup on my neck all the time.”

“Yeah, but Professor Xavier doesn’t eat like an animal.” Darwin reminds him. 

“Fair.”

“It was a hicky!” Angel insists. “I know it was! He is seeing someone!”

Hank sighs and takes his glasses off to clean them for a moment. “Just because he had a hicky doesn’t mean he’s seeing someone. Maybe it was just a fling.”

“At his age? Oh please. If you’re in your thirties you don’t let flings give you hickies. That’s reserved for patented lovers. He’s seeing someone, and he knows I know, because I’m pretty sure I just about mental-screamed when I saw the damn thing.”

“I’m not convinced.” Darwin says. 

Alex pauses. “She… actually might have a point.”

Angel grins wide. 

“And if the professor already knows you know, you can afford to do some digging around.” He concludes. 

Angel’s smile falls. “You- you don’t mean.”

“That’s actually a pretty good idea.” Hank says. “Raven would know.”

Raven is the resident therapist. She’s supposedly good at her job, but no one who goes to her escapes without having their love life spilled, gutted, and autopsied. That alone is enough to assume she knows the digs on the professor, but she also doubles as his sister, so she’s got to know something. 

The only problem is that there’s no way she’s going to spill first. As in, should Angel go to her for advice, it won’t be without coughing up at least a handful of her own dirty secrets first.

“None of us have anything worthwhile to trade her for.” Hank reasons. Hank is one of her regulars, but it might help that the man has no secrets to hide. None that they know, anyway. “You’ve always got something up your sleeve, don’t you?”

Angel glares at him. “If that’s your way of saying I get around-“

“None of us care if you get around or if you have the sexual expertise of a shoe.” Alex says.

“Shoes have people in them all the time.” Darwin says. “Not a good comparison.”

Sean throws back his head and starts laughing. The rest ignore him. 

“All I’m saying is that you’re probably more interesting than us.” Hank says. 

“Which is exactly why I shouldn't be the one to go.” Angel mutters.

Darwin shrugs. “You’re the one who wants to know.”

“Yeah, I’m not giving up my secrets for some ketchup on the Prof’s neck.” Sean adds.

Angel blinks. “You guys… you don’t believe me!”

“Nope.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Not on your life.”

“Sorry.”

Angel glares. “I swear I saw it! He has a hicky!”

“The lab reports got a little frisky, huh?” Alex sniggers. 

“Fuck you guys. If you saw-“

It’s at that moment the doors to the lab open, and in rolls the hot topic himself. He pauses, blinking at the lot of them. “I forgot my coat.” He says, pointing up towards the front where his tweed hangs innocently over his desk. “And- what. What are you all doing in here?”

“Planning our next porno.” Alex says. “We’re thinking something along the lines of, ‘lab reports, suck my dick.’”

Charles blinks. “Right. Well. You’ll actually have to do that somewhere else, I’m afraid, I have these tests lying out and you can’t have access to them.” He wheels over to the desk and slings on his jacket, giving the lot of them a very clear view of his neck on the way. He turns back to them, tilting his head to the side. “And if you’re going to be making a porno, remember to be safe. We don’t want any sort of bad lab reports coming back as a result of your shenanigans.”

“Right.”

“Of- of course.”

“Uh-huh.”

They all stand as a collective and start towards the door, eyes wide, mouths pressed together. 

Charles watches them in confusion. “That’s it? No witty retort?”

Alex turns around and opens his mouth before closing it, uselessly. “Uh.”

“You win this time, Professor.” Darwin helps, dragging the blond out.

They close the doors behind them.

“Holy shit.” Alex whispers. 

Hank nods in agreement. “The professor is totally seeing someone.”

Angel crosses her arms and smirks. “Told you.”

-

 

The problem with being a double major is that Alex is forced to commit the taboo of the MCU science wing- picking a side. You either hate Erik Lehnsherr or you hate Charles Xavier. Most students stick to loving their primary teacher, but when you’re shared between the two, it gets messy; it feels like you’re a kid swapped between divorced parents while your siblings demand you chose a side. 

It also doesn’t help that Erik likes to play _the game_ with any student who happened to be in an Xavier class. ‘Oh, how is Charles doing,’ ‘My, I can’t believe you’re not blind after staring at that hideous tweed all day,’ ‘Or, as Charles might say- groovy.’ He’d give Alex a pointed look at every interval, as if expecting him to react somehow. Alex wasn’t sure if he was supposed to laugh, agree, or stand up for the professor. Erik Lehnsherr is terrifying, and as much as Alex loves Professor Xavier, he also doesn’t want to wind up dead in a ditch. He wishes Mr. Lehnsherr (“Professor, ha, that’s something you call old men and idealists like Charles. You’ll call me _Mister_ Lehnsherr, thank you very much.”) would just tell him what he wants him to do.

Alex is working on his newest blue print when Erik bows over his shoulder- a dark an imposing cloud ready to poke holes in his design which always seems to be flawed in some way. 

“Hm.” Erik says, which is neutral ground. Maybe Alex has fucked up, maybe he hasn’t; the jury’s still out. Erik continues a second later with, “You’ve been distracted all day, Alex. It’s showing in your work. Look at that line there. What is that supposed to be?”

Alex knows Erik knows what it’s supposed to be. “Sorry, sir.”

“Don’t say sorry. Sorry doesn’t fix shit work. Get un-distracted.”

Alex flushes. “Got it.” Sometimes he does think Charles must be his favorite because, god, Erik is such an asshole. 

Erik stands to walk on, then pauses. “Not even a sharp comment? Do I need to send you to Raven?”

“Fuck no.”

“Then what’s the problem?” He asks, leaning against the desk to his right. “Not that I care, of course, but if its affecting your work, its affecting me.”

He feels his face heating up further. There aren’t many brave enough to so much as breath ‘Professor Xavier’ in Erik’s classrooms. “I’m cool.”

“If you’ve killed anyone don’t expect me to excuse you from midterms.”

Alex snaps his head up. “I haven’t killed anyone, you asshole!”

Erik grins. “Ah, there’s the Alex we all know and loath. Well, what is it then?”

He rolls his eyes. “Just some dumb rumor Angle told me. Can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Angle, hm? One of Charle’s students- wings and spitfire, yes?” 

“That’s the one.”

“Did she tell you about the rumor involving the dean and-“

“Heard that last week. Lame.”

Erik’s brows furrow. “I’m usually up to date on my gossip, not that I want to be. You brats just can’t shut your mouths. But if it’s affecting you of all people, I want to know. Did she maim someone? A human?”

“What is it with you and the killing and maiming?”

He grins with all his teeth. No one does it like he does- it’s a smile that makes the freshmen wet their pants and manages to scare even some of the people who’ve been around for years on end. There are teachers who still can’t handle it.

“Never mind. Whatever, fine. She thinks Professor Xavier is seeing someone.”

A hush falls over the room. Alex had been quiet, but somehow the name rings out in the dim regardless. He resists the urge to slam his head into his desk. 

“Charles?” Erik muses after a moment. “Seeing someone?” He laughs. 

Alex wonders if anyone, Erik included, would really blame him if he got up and sprinted out of the room. 

“Why would she think that, I wonder.”

“She said he had a hicky.” he pauses for a single second. “And… I saw it too.”

For a second Erik’s brows raise and he blinks, looking lost. Then his expression re-arranges itself into a look that clearly reads _of course_ as he begins to grin. “Well, heaven help the poor soul dealing with our dear Professor X. As long as he keeps his mouth shut, maybe it will last.”

With that, Erik drops the issue and goes on to help his next student. Well, ‘help’ may be a strong work. ‘Harass’ is more like it. Not that any of them seem to mind. He’s still a favorite, somehow- probably because he is an asshole, somehow. His hatred for Charles Xavier, who no one dislikes, makes him even more of a stone-cold enigma in their eyes, so Alex sort of thinks he might get it. 

Besides. He kind of likes the guy himself. Every dick needs another dick to make them feel better about themselves. 

 

-

 

Jean can’t believe it when she hears it, but her boyfriend’s brother is truthful, if not an ass. Charles Xavier, her beloved genetics professor, has a hicky. She has class with him as soon as she’s done with Lensherr, and when she gets over to his class she’ll be damned if she doesn’t do some snooping. 

Charles is sort of an infamous x-slut around MCU. Nowadays, though, he seems to keep entirely to himself. Every now and then he comes to class hungover or looking like he may or may not have had quite the night, but it’s nothing like the stories they’ve all been fed. 

_“One time, I heard he seduced a man by talking about genetics, and genetics only.”_

_“One time, I heard he fellated a beer for a crowd- while wearing women’s lingerie.”_

_“One time, I heard he went home with three different winged mutants. At once.”_

Those rumors are a thing of the past. Anymore, it’s things like “one time I heard he graded all his class’s test in one night” and “one time I heard he has five of the same tweed jacket” and “one time I heard he’s gotten the same haircut for five years straight.” 

So this hicky thing… is big. 

Jean’s not a snoop. She just likes to know things. 

“Alright, everyone.” Professor Xavier begins to hand back their tests, wheeling over to their desks one-by-one. “I know I said we were going to do this big thing on the B2 mutation today but I’m afraid no one did particularly well on this test. So, we’re scrapping them- none of this for the grade book. We’re going to go over all this material crash-course style until you’ve all got it down and then re-take the test tomorrow.”

Jean leans over as Charles hands her test back. And holy shit, there it is. One bonafide hicky, clear as day- proudly displayed on his neck. 

She’s _got_ to talk to Raven about this. 

 

-

 

Raven leans casually against the doorframe of Erik’s classroom as he growls at papers, crossing things out and writing in his usual straightedge scrawl of black ink. He’s not like Charles, who will draw a happy face or a frowning face to show what he thinks- the harder it is for you to read Erik’s writing, the more frustrated he is. She once saw a student get what looked like a collection of straight lines and lightning bolts on the head of his paper. Said student had need thorough counseling to recover from the ordeal for weeks. 

“So I heard Charles has a hicky.” She says. 

Erik pauses, but doesn’t look up at her. “World travels fast around here, hm?”

She laughs. “You know it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew over in the art department already. You got anything up your sleeve for this one?”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not going to start another Science Wing Fight over a hicky.”

She raises a brow. “Really? This seems like the exact kind of thing you would hold over his head. Why, after he dragged out the broken door for so long-“

“Would you look at that?” He says gruffly, standing. “It seems I’m late for dinner.”

She laughs as he brushes past her. “Tell the wifey hi for me.”

He flips her off and hurries out of the building, a madman with dark planning to do.

 

 

-

 

Moira doesn’t know why the hell she agreed to be the human representative at a Mutant college. Mutant’s Coumbia University is a place for mutants, not humans, and definitely not her. Hell, even if she _was_ a mutant, she still wouldn’t say she was glad to be there because she’d still be doing stupid shit like this.

“Miss MacTaggert, there’s another Science Wing Fight in progress!”

All she wants is one month. One fucking month without another forsaken Science Wing Fight. Erik and Charles- though mostly Charles- are the ones who convinced her to take the job at MCU. They shouldn’t be the ones she’s sent after so often. Because no, no, Emma Frost has better things to do as the president of MCU than go down and break up the Science Wing Fights, which have to be spelled with capital lets because they’re a _thing_ now, and so of course Moira has to take care of them. Every goddamn time.

She stalks behind the student- Anna Marie, if she remembers- whose only visible mutation is the white streaks in her hair. She wonders what it’s going to be this time but doesn’t ask the girl- she doesn’t even want to know until she sees it for herself. 

Will it be some stupid petty squabble? One of them insisting that they booked a room first, _no you didn’t I did, Moira he’s taking my slot, no I’m not, boys, boys, share your toys._ Or is this an infamous shouting match of politics sparked by a current issue? Has one of their students leaked a hot piece of gossip to the other to instigate the flames? 

She doesn’t get it. Charles loves everyone, Charles is a huge pacifist, and Charles hates fights. And yet, with Erik, it’s like it all just goes out the window. And then there’s Erik, who’s an asshole, but a quiet asshole. He doesn’t like shouting matches or messy fights. When he does things, he does them like assassinations. And yet he continues to do the whole song and dance with Charles, year after fucking year. 

She marches into the joining hallways between Bio and Mechanics, hands on her hips. Charles is pushing himself up in his chair, hair flopping haphazardly in his face, while Erik leans down in his face to glare. 

“All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t just storm into a lecture.” Charles says, voice clam despite the way he looks ready to throttle Erik. “My students are paying for this time- for their education. And you taking that away-“

“You spend enough time branching off of your studies during their precious time, Charles, why I’d think you’d be happy to have a distraction that doesn’t come from you for once.” And then he grins. “What, with this debacle over your love life all the sudden.”

Charles gasps. “My- my love life!?”

Erik reaches forward and flicks Charle’s collar. “Hickies are so… _you_.”

Charles flushes with anger and bats Erik’s hand away. “I’ve got half a mind to-“

“Invade mine?”

“Says the man holding my wheelchair in place!” 

“Oh forgive me, I didn’t want you simply rolling away with all the hot air you're spouting-“

Moira is so done. “Enough!” She shouts. 

They both start apart from each other, effectively painting the picture of scolded toddlers. 

“Charles, you know better than to rise to the bait. And Erik!” She turns on him. “Bringing up a hicky? Really?”

He raises his hands in a symbol of helplessness. As if. 

“I’m going to turn around and count to ten, and when I turn back around, it’s going to look like a college of our standards should. Empty halls, students in their classrooms, and you two teaching like you’re supposed to our so help me God I _will_ cut your vacation time.”

She turns around. 

“One!” 

She can hear shuffling as students hurry back to their respective rooms.

“Two!”

“Same time next week, old friend?” Charles jokes. 

“Always, old friend.” Erik returns. He’s smiling with all his teeth- she can _hear it_.

“Three!” 

She hears Charles wheel away and Erik’s shoes tap against the tile in the hall. 

She takes in a deep breath. Good. She didn’t even have to count to five. 

… God she needs a vacation. 

 

-

 

Ororo hadn’t expected Mr. Lehnsherr to turn around as soon as Mrs. MacTaggert was out of sight, so when he turned around on his heel, she was understandably stunned. She stood in his way for all of two seconds before throwing herself to the side of the hall, watching with wide eyes as he yanked Professor Xavier back around. The other teacher didn’t look surprised at all. 

“And another thing.” Erik said.

Students all turned back around to see what the hold up was. The reactions were spilt equally between horror and manic glee. 

“And here I thought maybe you were done keeping me and my students.”

“Exactly my point. You can’t just accuse me of doing that when you do the exact same thing with double the amount of words. I step in and say a sentence. You step in with a lecture and a powerpoint ready.”

“At least I’m responsible.” Charles huffs. 

“We have evidence that says otherwise.” Erik grins and thumbs Charle’s collar again. 

Charles raises an eyebrow. “Oh? You know, Erik, I always have wondered why you wear so many turtlenecks.”

Erik freezes in place. This… this is new. 

“I think it’s about time we all find out, don’t you?” He reaches out casually and all but rips Lehnsherr’s collar down. 

He’s completely black and blue with hickies.

The student population descends into madness. 

 

-

 

Logan doesn’t care how bad the cold gets in the winter- students can wear damn coats. They need to keep spending down and heat costs a fuck ton. Who’s salary is that going to come out of? Not his. Everyone agrees with him, anyway, because they all want vacations and as teachers its not like they’ve got money to spare. Who needs heat when you could afford a weekend to Florida, right? 

Besides, it was colder in Canada, and look at him. He turned out just fine.

… Lehnsherr and Xavier are ignoring each other again. He doesn’t give a fuck but it’s really holding the meeting up. He heard there was another wing of science of whatever the fuck brawl the day before and he doesn’t expect the two of them will be agreeing on anything at the moment. He could remark that the sky was blue and they’d find a way to appose each other on the issue.

If they could just fucking agree on something-

“I think that we need the heat. There are some students with mutations that make them extremely vulnerable to the cold.” Charles says. 

_There are some students who could bring a fucking blanket._ Logan thinks. 

“I agree with Charles,” says Erik.

Well. He needs to call up hell and ask them if it’s snowing because what the fuck. But hey, okay, he wanted this. He got what he asked for and he’s not going to let it slide. Karma is a bitch, after all, if he doesn’t act on this who knows what will happen.

“Fine.” He mutters. “You get your heat. Discussion over.”

Damn he’s good.

 

-

 

Charles looks across the halls both ways. It’s late, and he just finished grading- no one’s up. 

No students, anway, but he can see the light on in Erik’s classroom. 

Silently, he wheels over to the door and pushes it open with a smile. Erik is bent over his desk, reading glasses hovering in front of his face as he squints down at a paper. “Cassidy might as well be in kindergarten, what the fuck is this?”

“I am, at times, glad he’s your student and not actually mind.” Charles chuckles. He wheels himself over and leans over the desk, looking at the paper. “Yes, that is quite illegible.” 

Erik sighs and leans back, his glasses dropping softly onto the desk. “I’m quitting. This is a nightmare.”

“Oh shush, you love it.”

Erik doesn’t admit it out loud, but his smile give him away. 

“Long day?” Charles asks. 

“You said it. Your fucking stunt in the hallway gave me hell this week. Now everyone wants to know if that’s why I always wear turtlenecks and my usual ‘fuck off’ hasn’t been working so well this week. I blame you.”

“I’ll make it up to you sometime, darling, promise.”

Erik just rolls his eyes, unable to suppress his grin. “Come here,” He says, and then float Charles’ chair over the desk and to his side. He stands, clamoring out of his chair to straddle Charles’ lap, pushing his face into the crook of Charles’ neck. “I should have known you were up to something with all those fucking hickies. You never leave them like that.”

“Alls fair in love and war.”

“Just you wait. Next fight I’m going to win once and for all. all your damn bio kids are going to be mechanic kids next semester, just watch.”

“I’m sure.” He chuckles. Kissing Erik lightly, he says, “Ready to go home?”

“Are we not celebrating our wedding anniversary this year?” Erik huffs. “I know the fight was bad but I didn’t think it was serious.”

“Oh, of course not darling. I’ve got a romantic candle lit dinner planned.”

“Ah. Then yes. Home it is.” Erik stands and starts wheeling Charles out, flicking the lights off as he goes. He laughs a little when Charles passes him the thought of the both of them coasting out at dangerous speeds on his wheelchair, nudged on by Erik’s powers. 

“What do you think?” Charles grins. 

“Just because you can't actually use your legs doesn't mean we should be looking for ways to lose them. That's what I think.”

“Spoilsport.”

Erik laughs. “I’ll use that in our next epic. Your irresponsible use of wheelchairs.”

“Oh, that will really convince the students that you’re a cold bastard. I like it.”

“You should bring up something mysterious involving the wheelchair. Cement your ‘more than meets the eye’ thing. I could hint at murder.”

“Because we need another investigation.” Charles rolls his eyes. “I’ll bring up your time in prison.”

“I’ll bring up yours.”

“Touche.”

“Dinner, chess, and then bed?”

“As long as bed doesn’t mean sleeping.”

Erik grins. “Honestly, Charles, I don’t know why we fight at all.”

“You love it.”

“And you use it like a tool.”

“See? You know after all. Now hurry up, I’ve got wine to air and candles to light. My husband is going to be so enchanted I’m certain he may just faint.”

“Oh,” Erik laughs. “I’m sure.”

 

-

 

Betsy looks up from the foosball table and to the rest of the room, past Piotr and to the others. She says, “Hey. I just thought of something.”

“If this is another joke about your powers that Sean managed to make you start…” Scott trails off. 

“No, no, just… Don’t you think it’s a little odd that both Professor Xavier and Mr. Lehnsherr had hickies around the same time?”

The whole room freezes. 

Warren narrows his eyes. His wings twitch, like they do when he’s thinking hard, and he says, “Hate… fucking?”

The room considers it. 

“Surely not.” Kurt says. “They really, really hate each other.”

“Yeah.” Scott nods his head. “There’s just no way.”

Piotr shakes his head. “Honestly, the things you think. Horrible.”

She shrugs a shoulder. “Yeah, you’re right. As if they’d ever.”

And things go back to usual, once again. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is from c-is-for-circinate's prompt: We’re both professors in the same department and it enhances your reputation with the students as a mysterious enigma and my reputation as a stone-cold terror if we pretend to hate each other, plus when we back each other up in departmental meetings everybody’s so surprised they give in right away.
> 
> And this is also my first X men fanfic, so I feel like I'm still pretty shaky, but everyone's got to start somewhere. I'll write more to come and, hopefully, get a better grasp of the universe and characters. Thanks for reading!


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